Ben Howland and UCLA could be back on top of a loaded Pac-10 Conference this season.

Sept. 27, 2007

By Josh Herwitt

CSTV.com

JOSH HERWITT
Josh is CSTV.com's men's basketball editor and writes a weekly national column.
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        ---   Column Archive   --- M. BASKETBALL 4/8: Chalk One Up For These Jayhawks 4/6: Calipari, Self Ready To Take Final Step 4/4: What More Could You Want? 3/28: Tar Heels Feeling Right At Home 3/22: Gillispie Better Off In College Station? 3/16: Title Hopes Looming Large For Bruins 3/13: Arizona Keeping Tourney Streak Alive For Now 3/6: Holding A Full Deck Of Cards 2/28: A Step Back To Take A Step Forward 2/21: Nothing Comes Easy For Ryan 2/17: Blue Devils Anything But Blue 2/07: Bruins Could Be Hanging No. 12 2/07: January In Review 1/31: Hoyas Keeping Task At Hand 1/24: Finding Themselves 1/20: The Day We Were Waiting For 1/17: Hoosiers Holding Pieces To The Puzzle 1/10: Clemson's Scare Good For Heels 1/06: December In Review 1/03: Flyers Under The Radar 12/27: Win And You Shall Receive 12/20: Beasley's Just Being Beasley 12/13: Decadent and Depraved In Kentucky 12/06: Trojans Hurting Now To Smile Later 12/06: November In Review 11/29: Spotlight Shining Bright On Westwood 11/23: Turgeon's Taking His Time 11/15: Out With The Old, In With The New? 11/12: Don't Sleep On These Guys 11/08: Ducks Are Still Flying High 11/08: UCLA's Showing A Lot Of Love 11/05: Matta's Starting Over With More Youth 11/02: Hibbert's Standing Front and Center 11/01: Weber State Hopes To Dance Again 11/01: Hoyas, Cardinals Are Neck and Neck In Big East 10/30: Chomping At The Bit 10/27: Young Blood Giving Blue Devils New Life 10/26: Sweet Carolina 10/25: Better Than Nothing 10/18: Freshmen Fever 10/16: Hampton, High Point Ahead Of The Game 10/15: Vermont, Yale Climbing The Ladder 10/14: Austin Peay, Kent State Want Another Shot 10/12: On That Next Level 10/11: To The Highest Point 10/10: Roy's Boys Start At No. 1 10/04: Lexington's Buzzing Off The Hardwood 9/27: Leading The Pac 9/20: Everhart's Keeping His Dukes Up 9/13: Williams Just Getting Started 9/6: VMI's Williams Eager To Take Next Step 8/30: Beating Senioritis 8/23: Gearing Up For 2007-08 8/15: Walberg's Changing It Up 8/1: Gonzaga's Pargo Playing Coach 2/24: Bruins Enjoy Sweet Revenge 2/14: Lasme Takes Charge For Minutemen 2/1: St. John's Loses Steam After Halftime 12/2: Gause Provides Punch for Seton Hall Against SMC 11/22: Dynamic Duo Leads UCSB Over Pepperdine 11/18: LMU Shocks New Mexico St. With 0.9 Left 11/17: Gamecocks Spoil USC's Arena Opening 11/16: Mbah a Moute's Night 11/11: LMU Pulls Away Against Oral Roberts, 68-65 11/8: It's Been A Long Time M. LACROSSE 7/25: Yeatman Plays It Laid Back 7/18: For Better Or Worse? 7/6: Marr's Latest First 6/27: Making The Push 6/20: Big Questions Remain For Potential Big East 6/13: Sciubba Savors His Opportunity 6/6: No Excuses 6/4: One More Chance For Glory 5/30: Looking Back at 2007 5/28: Hopkins King For Another Day 5/27: Le Moyne Stuns Mercyhurst For DII Crown 5/27: Salisbury Earns Revenge On Cortland 5/26: Drama Doesn't Get To Duke 5/26: Hopkins Plays Another Day 5/26: Pietramala Feeling Right At Home 5/26: One Last Time 5/24: For Almost All The Marbles 5/18: Queener Likes It His Way 5/17: Still Wearing Their Slippers 5/13: Great Danes Win This Dog Fight 5/12: Plenty To Prove 5/11: Staying Alive 5/9: A Lot Left To Prove 5/8: Hoyas Ready For Next Step 5/7: Left in the Dark 5/5: Resetarits Powers Albany's Title Revenge 5/5: There's Nothing Sweeter Than Perfection 5/3: Seawolves Have No Answer For Thomson 5/3: These Irish Don't Need Any Luck 4/29: D Stands For Danowski...And Duke 4/28: Familiar Foes 4/28: Feeling Devlish 4/25: Turning Orange 4/21: Confidence Builds With Each Win For Hopkins 4/18: Cottle's World Full of Decisions 4/14: Nearing Perfection 4/7: Pouring It On 4/4: Off Their Heels 3/28: Seeing The Other Side 3/21: Albany Breaking New Ground 3/14: Big Things Brewing For Big Red 3/7: Climbing The List of Coaching Greats 3/3: Virginia Starts To Settle In With Face-Off Victory 3/2: Danowski Shows No Mercy For No. 6 Maryland 2/28: Losing Their Grip On The Stick 2/27: These Ten Bears Haven't Been Forgotten 2/16: Like Father, Like Son 2/14: Hofstra Still Full Of Its Own Pride W. LACROSSE 7/11: Lacrosse Migrates South 7/5: It's Home, Sweet Home For Miller 5/7: 'Cats Eyeing Three-Peat 4/11: Barking Softly Is Koch's Way 2/21: Building Programs Is Murphy's Game 2/15: Finding Her Own Key To Success 2/13: Third Time Is Still A Charm For `Cats FOOTBALL 10/8: USC Hangs On Again BASEBALL 1/23: Roemer Hungry To Get Back To Omaha M. WATER POLO 9/4: Cal Clawing For More 11/27: Family Doesn't Always Come First 11/13: March Is Back In Spite of Back 10/16: Top-Ranked USC Tops Cal in SoCal Tournament Final M. SOCCER 8/21: Nyarko Knocking at the Door 8/21: Title Hopes Brewing in Westwood 8/20: Bruins On The Rebound 8/20: Gauchos Go For Two

Every year, it's always the same question. And every year, it's always the same debate.

So what is the best conference in the country?

Year after year, we've watched the ACC dominate the college basketball landscape as the nation's premiere conference, equipped with a handful of national title contenders and some of the best coaches in the country, from Williams (Gary and Roy) to Krzyzewski and on and on.

But with North Carolina being the only conference team to make it past the second round of the NCAA Tournament last season, the nation started to see a changing of the guard.

That, coupled with the offseason losses that many teams experienced from the 2007 NBA Draft, and we could be seeing a new conference reign supreme in 2007-08.

That conference, surprisingly enough, could very well sit on the opposite coast from the ACC, where two No. 1 recruits will do battle in the City of Angels for at least this season.

With that in mind, here's a look at how the top conferences break down against one another.

1. Pac-10

Say what you will about the West Coast not sporting the same toughness or athleticism of the ACC and Big East, but after fielding six teams in the NCAA Tournament last season, the Pac-10 is showing that it not just can play with anyone, but it can beat anyone. Except for two-time defending national champ Florida, that is. While the Gators grabbed the glory once again last March, it was the Pac-10 who made one of the bigger statements of the tournament as three member schools -- UCLA, USC and Oregon -- all reached the Sweet 16, with the Bruins and Ducks advancing to the Elite Eight. That could very well happen again in 2007-08, as Ben Howland welcomes Kevin Love to Westwood and Oregon returns a senior-laden team that includes sophomore guard Tajuan Porter, who came on strong down the stretch to help the Ducks win the conference tournament. But you can't forget about Arizona, Stanford, Washington State and especially USC, all teams who should make the field of 65 when the selection committee goes to work in early March. And with most teams in the conference retaining and adding talent rather than losing it, the Pac-10 has only continued to put on more muscle in the offseason. That could provide for some compelling action in conference play beginning in January, and with two No. 1 recruits in Love and O.J. Mayo just across the I-10, there could some serious magic being made out in Los Angeles this season.

2. Big East

The Pac-10 certainly features two of the biggest recruits coming into this season, but that doesn't mean the Big East gives up much in talent or depth to its West Coast counterpart. The conference also sent six teams to the NCAA Tournament last season, and it could be even more in 2007-08. That depends on how well UConn and Syracuse rebound from uncharacteristic seasons that saw both teams miss the NCAA Tournament -- albeit the Orangemen did have a legitimate claim with 24 wins and a 10-6 mark in conference play last season. Another question mark will be how quickly Bob Huggins can turn things around at West Virginia, and while the Mountaineers aren't expected to make the NCAA Tournament this year, the conference boasts eight teams with a legitimate shot, starting with a veteran Louisville team that will contend with defending champ Georgetown and center Roy Hibbert for the conference crown.

3. ACC

Dick Vitale might want to kill me if he saw that I have the ACC ranked as the third-best conference this year, but that's what happens when you lose as much as Georgia Tech, Boston College and Virginia Tech did from last season. Sure, the ACC could still be the best conference by the end of the season, although a lot of that depends on how the aforementioned teams rebound after losing several key components from last year. North Carolina should be the class of the league once again with Tyler Hansbrough returning as the best power forward in the country and talented point man Ty Lawson running the show. Yet everyone will want to know how Duke will fair this season after suffering that last-second heartbreak to VCU in the first round of the tournament. While there's no question that Mike Krzyzewski will ride his talented freshman class back into the NCAA Tournament this season, the Blue Devils might be one of the few conference teams to be joining their rival Tar Heels. After all, the ACC sent seven of its 12 teams to the NCAA Tournament last season, and I certainly don't foresee that happening in 2007-08. This could be a year, rather, where we see only four or five teams make it into the field of 65 when March nears.

4. Big 12

The Big 12 might not boast the same kind of depth and talent as the three higher ranking conferences will, but it can be assured that the conference will provide a lot of excitement, particularly in the state of Kansas. Final Four participant Kansas brings back the most fully-equipped arsenal with leading scorer Brandon Rush returning to Lawrence along with veterans Russell Robinson, Sherron Collins, Mario Chalmers and Darrell Arthur, while out in Manhattan, Kansas State will have a deadly backcourt tandem in Michael Beasley and Bill Walker. The Wildcats should make the NCAA Tournament after remaining on the bubble throughout last season, and if all goes right, both Texas and Texas A&M will be right there in March as well. The Longhorns will greatly miss all the services that Kevin Durant provided Rick Barnes with last season, but with D.J. Augustin and A.J. Abrams returning, Texas should be in good hands. Meanwhile, the Aggies, under first-year head coach Mark Turgeon, could give the Jayhawks a run for their money when it comes to capturing the conference crown. And with Missouri and Oklahoma also playing into the mix, the Big 12 should be represented with four or five teams in the NCAA Tournament this year.

5. Big Ten

Losing Greg Oden to the NBA hurts not just Ohio State this season, but the entire Big Ten. The two-time conference champion Buckeyes will be starting fresh at the point guard spot with Michael Conley, Jr. also leaving last spring, but Thad Matta could be in better shape than one would think with Jamar Butler and David Lighty returning to the lineup. Add in freshman sensation Kosta Koufos and the Buckeyes might even crack the Top 25 a month into the season. But with so much uncertainty in Columbus this season, the conference falls on the shoulders of Michigan State and Indiana. With top recruit Eric Gordon coming to Bloomington after passing up a chance to play for Illinois and D.J. White returning for his senior campaign, the Hoosiers should top the conference this season. But Tom Izzo will have Michigan State hungry to earn a higher seed heading into the tournament after a second-round loss to North Carolina ended the Spartans' season. How good Wisconsin and Illinois will be, however, is another question mark to be answered this season for the Big Ten. And if the Fighting Illini aren't able to keep pace with the Buckeyes or Badgers, we could be seeing only four teams from the conference represented come tourney time.

6. SEC

A year after Florida captured its second straight national championship, it's a completely different team in the SEC. The Gators lost their entire starting lineup and almost their coach before Billy Donovan returned to Gainesville to welcome in the top recruiting class in the country, one that features Nick Calathes, Jai Lucas and Chandler Parsons. But it will take Donovan some time to get adjusted to his new personnel, paving the way for Tennessee and Kentucky as the conference's top contenders. The Volunteers, in particular, have the best shot at winning the league with All-American shooting guard Chris Lofton and Wayne Chism back for Bruce Pearl. The Wildcats, in the meantime, could be right there as well, though much will depend on how effective senior guard Joe Crawford will be coming off knee surgery in addition to the play of freshman forward Patrick Patterson, a top recruit who played last season with O.J. Mayo at Huntington High in West Virginia. But after Tennessee, Kentucky and Florida, the conference doesn't carry a lot of weight with Georgia and a changed Vanderbilt team as postseason maybes.

7. Missouri Valley

The Valley has been one of the most even-slated conferences from top to bottom in the last couple of years, and that could be the trend again in 2007-08. While Dana Altman has proved time after time in Omaha that Creighton is a consistent NCAA Tournament team, it's been Southern Illinois, Bradley, Wichita State and Missouri State who have all shown that they're capable of beating quality BCS conference schools. So with the Big Ten and SEC not carrying the same talent as it has in the past, don't be surprised if you find four or five teams from the Missouri Valley Conference entering the field of 65 this season.

8. CAA

Ever since George Mason made its historic run to the Final Four in 2005-06, the Colonial Athletic Association is a conference that's been keeping everyone on their toes. After last season's controversy over Drexel's NCAA Tournament snub, there's sure to be another CAA team or two who will be on the bubble in March. With junior guard Eric Maynor returning, VCU should make a return to the Big Dance, but there are still a lot of questions that remain for teams like Hofstra, Towson and Old Dominion.

9. Mountain West

The Mountain West had two teams make the NCAA Tournament last year, but none was more surprising than UNLV's appearance in the Sweet 16. Lon Kruger is hoping do similar things in Sin City again this year, while BYU coach Dave Rose will be looking to put the Cougars back at the top of the conference despite losing conference player of the year Keena Young. San Diego State, which has made the postseason four out of the last six years under Steve Fischer, should be another conference contender, but unfortunately the MWC could be only getting two tournament teams in March.

10. Conference USA

While Conference USA has a lot of improvement to make in the next year, it's hard not to include it when you have what many believe will be the No. 1 team in nation coming into this season. Memphis is certainly everything it's cracked up to be, but the rest of the conference has been downright awful in years past. It's a good thing coach John Calipari scheduled the months of November and December like he did, with games against Arizona, Georgetown, Tennessee and USC.